Springbok captain Victor Matfield, set for a nostalgic milestone when he wins his 70th Test cap against Italy, the country against which he made his debut seven years ago, has revealed the one burning ambition that still fires him up for rugby.
On the surface Matfield, 31, has done it all.
Acknowledged as the best lock in world rugby, he is one of only three players, along with Bulls team-mates Fourie du Preez and Bakkies Botha, who can count World Cup, Tri-Nations, Super 14 and Currie Cup winners medals in their cabinets.
So what motivates the second rower playing with the same hunger and desire he had in 2001, when he made his Test debut against Italy?
With all respect to Italy, who will be beaten comfortably by South Africa at Newlands on Saturday, Matfield revealed on Tuesday why the Boks were looking beyond Saturday's Tri-Nations curtain-raiser to the one achievement that has eluded all current playing Springboks.
"It's easy to think you play for trophies, but the last six months (playing for French second division club Toulon) made me realise that I want to be tested every weekend playing against the best. Over there I was not playing the best. I was not happy and I was not enjoying my rugby.
"It just shows. You want to get out there and play against the best and I still believe (even though South Africa are world champions) there are people who believe New Zealand are the number one rugby nation in the world.
"Beating the All Blacks in New Zealand is another challenge for us. I've never done that, and it would be great," said Matfield.
Indeed. New Zealand in Wellington (and then in Dunedin) are looming large on the Bok radar as their next match after the Italy test this weekend.
But since 2000, in 18 Test matches, South Africa have only beaten the All Blacks four times, and all of these wins were on home soil. Matfield played in three of those Tests.
Winning in New Zealand remains the ultimate objective of any Springbok, and Stormers captain Jean de Villiers echoed Matfield's sentiments yesterday, saying: "We are the world champions and we must play like the world champions on Saturday and Italy must know when they come off the field that they have played against the world champions.
"But a lot of guys (actually all of them) haven't beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand and hopefully we can achieve that. It's something I look forward to, and hopefully I can have it on my CV when we get back from the Tri-Nations.
"It won't be easy and we are probably playing at two of the toughest stadiums in New Zealand (Wellington and Dunedin) to win at, but it's an exciting sort of challenge we have set ourselves."
Ironically, on Saturday the Boks will be up against an Italy coach, Nick Mallett, who needs no introduction. Mallett holds the distinction of being the only Springbok coach of the professional era (since 1981 in fact) to win a Test match in New Zealand.
That was in 1998, in Wellington, when South Africa won 13-3.
In only his fourth Test match as Bok coach, Peter de Villiers will confront the All Blacks in just over three weeks time.
De Villiers revealed on Tuesday that there had been teething problems, but the Boks were beginning to adjust to the new coach after the Jake White World Cup-winning era.
"I don't think it is a huge shift, but you do have to get into the head of the coach again to know how we should approach things according to his plan, which can take a while.
"The more you get to know the person and get to chat to him as a person, the more you know what his thinking is about rugby and how he looks at the game and what we must do on the field.
"It has not been a huge change and I think sometimes change is good and it motivates the guys to perform for the new coach and try to be number one in their position. So far it's been good, I've enjoyed it and my game is on the up."